CBobbysLife

Christian, Not Christian

2011-06-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

(Rom 2:29) You become a Jew by who you are. It's the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.
So what is the mark, that makes one a christian ,it not calling ones self a christian? its not doing good things? its not all this things that we think that if we do we will get Gods approval ,but it is mark of God in our heart ,and that is the cross; the altar God himself built to offer up his own son as a sacrifice, that as we live our day to day lives He,our audience of one, and others may see that Christ has been lifted up in our hearts and that he is on the thrown in our lives.
Then we can say as paul(Rom 3:28) We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.

This Christian life

2011-05-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough: He appeared in a human body, was proved right by the invisible Spirit, was seen by angels. He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples, believed in all over the world, taken up into heavenly glory.

Wait

2011-04-13T02:22:00.000-07:00

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel 15:34-35

In verse 29, we read that the Lord is not a man that he should repent. The word “repent” can mean “to change direction,” or it can mean - as it does forty-one times in the Old Testament - “to regret.” God is simply regretting that the people demanded a king. In Deuteronomy 17:15, provision is made for a king. But the people got ahead of God because the king He intended for them was David.

Perhaps that’s a word for some of us. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart,” Psalm 37:4 tells us. We cling to and claim this verse, as well we should, but not apart from its context, for three verses later, David tells us to wait patiently for God. God has a plan for our lives - and no small part of it requires patience. If we get ahead of God, we end up with Ishmael instead of Isaac, with Saul instead of David. It’s a recurring lesson throughout Scripture (Psalm 27:14; Proverbs 20:22; Isaiah 40:31; Jeremiah 14:22; Lamentations 3:26; Hosea 12:6; Micah 7:7; Habakkuk 2:3; Zephaniah 3:8; Acts 1:4; Romans 8:25; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). Wait, wait, wait on the Lord.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "Footsteps of the Flock" by Pastor Jon. "Footsteps of the Flock" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the Old Testament books of Joshua through Malachi. If you would like your own copy of "Footsteps of the Flock" you may click here to go to the SearchLight Store

Priority to Faith

2011-03-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

Have you felt that you are not getting Gods attention ? leave alone the attention of those around you because of who you are, probably your situation not a priority to someone else , some one else is in more need than you, another situation needs to be attended to before yours and you are likely to get the leftover time. Then you are not alone once i had been scheduled to meet this prominent person in Government and after going 50 km from home to meet him and get to talk to him, all he did was shake my hand since he was rushing to attend to another situation, to me all I needed was for him to assist me which he could easily do, "probably tomorrow", I said as I left disappointed.

Mat 15:23 to 15:27 tells us of a woman who was in the same predicament

Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, "Now she's bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She's driving us crazy." Jesus refused, telling them, "I've got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel." Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. "Master, help me." He said, "It's not right to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to dogs." She was quick: "You're right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master's table." Jesus gave in. "Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!" Right then her daughter became well.

And as I meditate on these scripture today I can't help but wonder the times i have approached God with a situation or a priorities I in my live that needs him to attend to because no one else can, So I come to him and scream at the top of my voice for his help though he may be so busy attending to other important issues , mine is important to , and with faith in him, he is sure to assist me with leftovers which will salvage my situation for today ,
Despite his busy schedule today he surely still desires to hear all your problems, that may keep you and me from him, and keep us from knowing him more.He addressed the gentle issue once and for all and now their is no Jew and no Gentile because he died to save all. he does see our needs irrespective of our status and is sure willing to help ,despite us not being in a position to receive assistance as the gentile woman who meet one whose priority is our faith in him.

A Balanced life 5th Jan 2011

2011-01-05T14:05:00.001-08:00

Living a balanced life is all about whom you are and to who you are what you are.

In a discussion today I come to realize that what it takes to be clear on your responsibilities and what is expected of you by:

Your God
Your Self
Your Family
Your friends
Your employer
Your customer

As you answer this question who am I , it's obvious that there are things only you can be or do and this are those that matter most In life.

As you be honest with yourself and you come to realize that you define your identity mostly out of relationships, first in your relationship with God

You begin appreciating ;you are who you are and who you are not

Help to count on

2010-01-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

Psalm 3-5
Yes I am convinced that God has his hands spread wide for you and me to run to him for help. He clears the way for us to bring our request to him.And does away ,with all that stands in between you and him by having layed himself on the cross over for the connection between you and him to be secured.
So as you pour your heart felt request to the Lord be sure that He will do it again as He did it,so he can today ,and even tommorrow.So as david did do the same.Ask!

2010-01-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 6

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“ Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”

Days like today that we live in calls for sensitivity to a voice that can be heard in the midist of all the suffering and crying in this world,in the luxury and riches of this world.
A still voice is heard by U and Me ,The voice of the Master.
So what is your response ?

God I thank you

2009-12-13T12:16:00.001-08:00

God I thank you for being you.
I am honored to admire and reverence you for all you are, with or without me you are, because all existence is draw from you.
You alone are,and will always be I AM.
So I thoughtfully take this moment in eternity to ascribe greatness to the greatest of all time ,
For all time is; but his surroundings and all that is, is His making.
To the greatest one, because you have no equal, prior or contemporary, you are the Ancient of days.
You change not for you are not likened, even with man or angels for you made all,
and privileged man to in your likeness for your own pleasure.
It amuses me that God desires that we are involved in your creation ,so you expressed this by extending your love to us that, we be like you; coheirs accountable for your creation on earth.
Deceived for a moment you let us feel your absence ,that we may cherish every day’s purchase of your presence by, giving all of yourself to us, laying your only son's life on the line to restore our relationship once and for all paying my debt and humanities debt to sin.
All are endorsed by his work , we act in response to his present, oh presence, is by appreciating who He is and more who He is to you.
If asked to prove Him, where can we begin or end in our own effort, so is the dilemma we find ourselves each day when we live without perspective of, the simplicity of faith in Christ like that of a child .
Then my question is; how do you grow a child like faith in an individual? And Jesus portrayed it very clearly, by His dependence on his father, who wiling fully extends the same relationship to you.
“I love you”, easy said. More than words Jesus put across this by living His word (Love); practically kept all the 10 commandments to the latter.
He made it straightforward by scaling down the 10 commandments to 2, therefore giving us the motivation to keep Gods commandments, in love, as He did by embedding it in the lives of those who right now dare believe in Him, regardless of circumstances, doubt and this faithless age where: what you see is what you get, is the slogan behind our rationale.
Let Jesus take your mind space and doesn’t the thought of Him bring joy to your heart, understanding to your intellect ,and life to your corpse, because the more you mind his business so you’re his business.
Trade in today your fears, circumstances, businesses,the currency you need is faith.

2009-06-19T23:23:00.001-07:00

THOSE STILL SEARCHING....AND THOSE ALREADY IN THE MIX TO REFLECT!!

Choosing a Life Partner

When it comes to making the decision about choosing a life partner, no one wants to make a mistake. Yet, with a divorce rate of close to 50 percent, it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to finding Mr/Ms Right!

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they’re getting married, they'll say: "We're in love." I believe this is the #1 mistake people make when they date. Choosing a life partner should never be based on love (alone). Though this may sound not politically correct, there's a profound truth here.

Love (alone) is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of a good marriage. When the other ingredients are right, then the love will come. Let me say it again: You can't build a lifetime relationship on love alone. You need a lot more.

Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you're serious about finding and keeping a life partner.

QUESTION #1: Do we share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important? Let me put It this way: If you're married for 20 or 30 years, that's a long time to live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time? Travel, eat and jog together? You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a common life purpose. Two things can happen in a marriage. You can grow together, or you can grow apart. 50 percent of the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work, you need to know what you want out of life - bottom line - and marry someone who wants the same thing.

QUESTION #2: Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

This question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship. Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of having good communication is trust! i. e. trusts that I won't get "punished" or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings. A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the person you plan to marry.

QUESTION #3: Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you test? Here are some suggestions:

i) Do they work on personal growth on a regular basis?

ii) Are they serious about improving themselves? A teacher of mine defines a good person as "someone who is always striving to be good and do the right thing". So, ask about your significant other:

What do they do with their time? Is this person materialistic?" Usually, a materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character refinement. There are essentially two types of people in the world:
People who are dedicated to personal growth and people who are dedicated to seeking comfort. Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing. You need to know that before walking down the aisle.

QUESTION #4: How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person pleasure. Ask: Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or is they wrapped up in themselves and self-absorbed?

To measure this, think about the following:
i) How do they treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, busboys, taxi drivers, etc?

ii) How do they treat parents and siblings? Do they have gratitude and appreciation? Do they show respect? If they don't have gratitude for the people who have given them everything, you cannot expect that they'll have gratitude for you - who can't do nearly as much for them!

iii) Do they gossip and speak badly about others? Someone who gossips cannot be someone who loves others. You can be sure that someone who treats others poorly will eventually treat you poorly as well.

QUESTION #5: Is there anything I'm hoping to change about this person after we're married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention of trying to "improve" them after they're married. As a colleague of mine puts it, "You can probably expect someone to change after marriage... for the worse!" If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them. In conclusion, dating doesn't have to be difficult and treacherous.

The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with your heart. It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating; to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues.

Falling in love is a great feeling, but when you wake up with a ring on your finger, you don't want to find yourself in trouble because you didn't do your homework.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I'VE MET THE PERSON I SHOULD MARRY?
The choice of a marriage partner should not be based on "I get a warm, wonderful feeling whenever we're together and I want to have that warm wonderful feeling forever, so let's go get married".

Feelings, as we have discussed, have no logic on their own. They need to be acknowledged, of course, but they need considerable assistance from your brain. Marriage means choosing the person you will spend the rest of your life with. This, as you may have guessed, is a very long time to spend with one person.

This person will live with you, eat meals with you, sleep with you and go on vacation with you. More important yet, this person will share your children. You need to choose wisely. The decision should not be made based on Feelings alone. You need to ask yourself some tough questions. The decisions have to be made on solid considerations.

Will! This person is a good partner? Is she mature enough to put her own selfish desires aside to look out for what is best for the family? Is he prepared to be a good provider? What is his track record? Is he responsible enough to get a good job and keep it? Will this person be a good parent? Can you stand the thought of your children turning out exactly like this person?

They will, you know. Children spend a lot of time with their parents and consequently pick up many or most of their parents' character traits. You had better like your spouse's traits a lot because you will be seeing them again in your children! If something were to happen to you, would you completely trust this person alone, with the task of raising and forming your children? This is not a pleasant thought, but it is an important consideration.

Not everyone dies at a ripe old age with great grandchildren gathered around the bed. Sometimes a parent dies and leaves young children in the care of the other parent. If you feel that you would need to be around to correct or lessen this person's influence on your children, then you are considering the wrong person..

Does this person share your faith in God? God does not give us children so that we can mould them into the coolest, most popular people in school. Our job is to get them to heaven. To do that, we need to raise them believing in God. It is tough to do that if only one parent believes.

Saying "This is right and that is wrong, and I want you to ignore Mommy until you are thirty-five" does not work. Small children ask about eight million questions in a single day. The answers to those questions go a long way toward forming the kind of adults they will become. Who will be answering those questions for your children?

Does this person you are marrying have sexual self-control? Single people sometimes have this idea that marriage is just some kind of lifelong sex festival and that as long as they have each other, they will never be tempted by other people. Wrong!

There are many times in every marriage when one partner or the other is sexually unavailable - illness, the last months of pregnancy, travel. There are also times when spouses, just get on each other's nerves. At times like this, other people can seem very appealing. That can be dangerous, because there are plenty of very attractive people out there who are willing to make themselves available to married men and women. Do you want someone who has never said "no" to sex? If he is not good at saying "no" at eighteen, it won't be different at forty. Do you want to worry about whether or not your spouse is being faithful?

These are very important questions, and if you are not comfortable with All of the answers, you should definitely not marry this person. None of this is to say that feelings play no role at all in a marriage decision. You don't have to, "Well, I suppose that you would make a good spouse and parent, so even though I don't particularly like you I guess I'll marry you'.

You need to be happy and excited about the prospect of spending your life with someone.. Your brain however must acknowledge that this person is a good choice.

Don't listen to your heart alone nor your head alone. Wait until your heart and head agree.

To do Today

2009-06-18T22:39:00.001-07:00

Each day we get up looking forward to achieve a goal or finish a to do lists and this is not bad, But today my desire is not to justify my accomplishments by what I have managed to do but what Christ has done and how much I glory in him. So with this in mind I won't be disappointed not only today but for eternity, because I am not trying to be something or somebody else,but I realise I am wonderfully made and all I have to workout is maintain my status and work out my salvation as I respond to Christ's love for me and those around me.